The largest desert in North America
This region, which spans a large area in northern Mexico and the southern United States, includes a significant portion of West Texas, as well as sections of the middle and lower Rio Grande Valley and the lower Pecos Valley in New Mexico. If you'd like to learn more about other desert areas, you can also check out our article on the Mojave Desert.
This vast expanse, which covers 12,6% of Mexico's land surfaceIt is the third largest desert in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest in the Americas, surpassed only by the Great Basin Desert. The unique landscape composition of this area consists of dunes, grasslands, and shrubs, resulting from various factors such as relief, precipitation, temperature, soil, and vegetation. For more details on the region's flora, see our chapter on it.
Over time, the region has suffered significant degradation, primarily due to extensive grazing. The native grasses that once predominated and several species have been displaced by woody plants such as creosote and mesquite. To understand how these plants affect the ecosystem, you may also be interested in learning about the sonoran desert, which shares similar characteristics.
Most of the area is made up of marine sedimentary rocks, although some mountainous regions contain rocks of volcanic originFour watershed systems—the Río Grande, the Río Casas Grandes, the Mapimí Bolsón, and the Mayrán—significantly influence hydrological conditions, with the Río Grande forming the political boundary between Mexico and the U.S. The region is 80% calcareous, indicating that it was once submerged in the ocean, later emerging through geological processes.
Chihuahuan Desert Climate
Located in a mountain shadow zone, the Chihuahuan Desert is protected from significant moisture by the Sierra Madre Occidental to the west and the Sierra Madre Oriental to the east, which block the entry of moisture from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. If you'd like to better understand how these barriers influence the climate, we also discuss similar phenomena in our article.
The desert climate is arid, with a rainy season in the summer and limited rainfall in the winter. Due to its altitude, which varies between 600 and 1675 meters, temperatures are moderate compared to other deserts, reaching between 35 and 40°C in the summer. In winter, temperatures can drop considerably, occasionally producing frost. The average annual temperature is around 24°C, and rainfall is 200 to 300 mm per year, almost all of it in the summer. For more information on how the flora adapts to these conditions, you can visit our flora section.
Flora of the largest desert in North America
The desert is home to approximately 3.500 plant species, with 1.000 endemic species and at least 16 exclusive genera. The varied topography and climate changes over the last 10.000 years have contributed to the high level of endemism. To learn about plant species resistant to extreme conditions, see our vegetation section.
The desert landscape is composed of 20% grasslands with hardy shrubs such as creosote bushes, acacias, and brooms. In the interior, sandy and gravelly soils support species such as yucca and opuntia, including the Arizona rainbow cactus and the Mexican fire barrel cactus, which inhabit border areas. Also, if you want to delve deeper into the ecosystem, you can explore the flora of other nearby deserts through the related links.
Fauna
In desert habitats, numerous invertebrates reside, such as tarantulas, whip scorpions, millipedes, and giant centipedes. In addition, a wide variety of butterflies and moths contribute to the biodiversity. Among the fish that have developed unique adaptations to their isolation are endemic species. Amphibians, including salamanders, toads, and frogs, are also part of the desert fauna. For details on specific species, see our article dedicated to desert biodiversity.
Mammals that inhabit this region include pronghorn, mule deer, gray fox, and several rodent species such as the kangaroo rat and the black-tailed jackrabbit. The American antelope, with only 24 individuals left in Chihuahua, is in danger of extinction, and endangered populations of prairie dogs can also be found in the desert. If you'd like to learn more about desert animals, check out our wildlife section.
